1. Relation to Copending Application
This application forms a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 07/197,291 filed May 23, 1988 entitled "Removable Wall Panel System," now abandoned.
2. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a building construction system for establishing interior room sidewalls and ceilings with panels and a unique panel support system which permit the panels to be easily removed or repositioned to provide immediate work access to areas covered by the panels.
3. Background Art
Computer, burglar alarm, air conditioning, low voltage lighting and similar wiring systems as well as plumbing systems promote the need for sidewalls and overhead ceilings made up of removable panels. Modern buildings have been reported as having a life expectancy of around 75 years, but a buildings' utilities (plumbing, electric, air, heat, etc.) must be modernized or replaced about every 20 years. This means that the utilities must be revamped two or three times during the life of a building. Telephone, dictating and computer lines also require modifications. Retrofitting of utilities or selected utilities for the purpose of modernizing is a very common practice. The typical sidewall is not made of removable panels even though ceilings are often constructed with removable ceiling tiles supported on suspended frames. However, the typical ceiling tile must be substantially tilted upwardly to be removed which in turn requires that substantial tilt space be available above the normal plane of the ceiling. It would thus be desirable to be able to install and remove panels with only slight movement and slight tilting or sliding of the panel in a ceiling or sidewall construction to provide immediate accessibility to the utilities and to the various circuits, pipes, lines and the like hidden by the ceiling or sidewall.
Conventional suspended ceiling systems utilize wire hangers which are easily bent and misaligned. In some instances a special edge treatment is required as for example in the October, 1968 German Pat. No. 1,409,938. The removable plates or panels as in the cited German patent are typically required to be spaced a substantial distance from the supporting structure which eliminates the possibility of direct contact with the supporting structure. The system of the German patent furthermore is adapted only to ceilings and not to sidewalls, leaves a visual gap, provides corner rather than edge support and requires alignment adjustments, all of which disadvantages are sought to be eliminated by the present invention.
Sliding door panels have been known to rest in one lower relatively shallow track and have the upper edge rest in another upper and somewhat deeper track. This arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1 allows the panels to be captured by the tracks in normal use but to be easily removed by lifting the panel into the upper track and slightly tilting the panel out of the lower track. However, so far as is known no one has heretofore recognized the possibility of forming furring strips, chair rails, baseboards and crown moldings with deep and shallow rabbets or channels to permit immediate access behind a sidewall or above a ceiling wall.
The invention seeks to provide an improved wall and ceiling system having easily removed and easily repositionable panels held between relatively shallow and relatively deep rabbets or channels formed by furring strips or other building components and which require only a slight sidewise and slight tilting or a sliding motion to be removed or to expose a work area. Other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds.